CAREER PILOT TECHNOLOGY
Uvalde Campus
Purpose
Graduates of this program may find employment as a pilot or in many supporting jobs in aviation. Immediate employment may be available in flight instruction (for students completing the certified flight instructor course), airport management, and aircraft sales. Other supporting jobs in aviation may require additional training such as air traffic control, flight service station operation, avionics technology and flight engineering.
Southwest Texas Junior College will furnish the Ground instruction by an instructor employed by the college. The aircraft and flight instruction will be provided by an FAA approved Part 141 contractor. The Career Pilot aviation building is located on the airport adjacent to the college campus. An ideal situation exists for students who will take their academic and ground school courses on the campus and their flight training at the nearby airport.
The program consists of a minimum of 63 semester hours and has a minimum of 190 clock hours of flying time. Upon satisfactory completion of this program and upon making formal application for graduation (see Curricula section), the student will receive the A.A.S. degree and may apply for the Commercial Pilot's Certificate with Instrument Rating.
It is recommended that students completing the program at Southwest Texas Junior College continue with their education at a four-year university. Southwest Texas Junior College has articulation agreement with other universities so that students can transfer all of their hours in this program to other programs residing in these universities.
Admission Requirements
In order to be admitted to this program the student must:
 | complete an admission application. |
| request transcripts from high school and previous colleges to be sent to the Registrar's Office. |
| pass the Class II Federal Aviation Administration physical examination (your local physician may be authorized to do this). |
| make an initial deposit of $1000 to the contractor. |
| be interviewed by a SWTJC faculty member. |
| provide written parental consent to fly if student is under 18 years of age. |
ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE DEGREE
| General Education Courses: | |||
| Group I | Social & Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| Group II | Humanities & Fine Arts | 9 | |
| Group III | Natural Science & Math | 3 | |
| Total General Education Courses | 15 | ||
| Major or Area of Concentration | 45 | ||
| Basic Use of Computers | 3 | ||
| Total Credit Hours for A.A.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 63 | ||
Program of Study
| Fall Semester Credit | |||
| ORIE | 0100 | New Student Orientation | |
| AIRP | 1313 | Introduction to Aviation | 3 |
| AIRP | 1317 | Private Pilot Ground School | 3 |
| AIRP | 1315 | Private Flight | 3 |
| AIRP | 1307 | Aviation Meteorology | 3 |
| ITSC | 1301 | Introduction to Computers | 3 |
| ENGL | 1301 | Composition & Rhetoric | 3 |
| Total | 18 | ||
| Spring Semester Credit | |||
| AIRP | 1351 | Instrument Ground School | 3 |
| AIRP | 2350 | Instrument Flight | 3 |
| AIRP | 1347 | Human Factors in Aviation | 3 |
| MATH | 1314 | College Algebra | 3 |
| ENGL | 1302 | Composition & Rhetoric | 3 |
| Total | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall Semester Credit | |||
| AIRP | 2337 | Commercial Ground School | 3 |
| AIRP | 1355 | Intermediate Flight | 3 |
| AIRP | 1343 | Aerodynamics | 3 |
| AIRP | 1345 | Aviation Safety | 3 |
| ELECTIVE | Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Total | 15 | ||
| Spring Semester Credit | |||
| AIRP | 2339 | Commercial Flight | 3 |
| AIRP | 2355 | Propulsion Systems | 3 |
| ELECTIVE | Technical Elective | 3 | |
| PSYC | 2301 | General Psychology | 3 |
| SPCH | 1311 | Fundamentals of Speech | 3 |
| Total | 15 | ||
| Total Credit Hours for A.A.S. Degree | 63 | ||
Notes:
| Incorporates 48 clock hours of flight instruction |
| Courses in boldface type denote general education core of fifteen semester hours |
| Chosen from relevant topics as listed in the current catalog |
All students are required to take ORIE 0100; however, ORIE 0100 does not count toward degree requirements.
Tuition and Fees Per Semester
Regular tuition and fees for the ground school courses will be charged. Estimated cost of flight fees can be determined by multiplying the cost per flight hour by the number hours required by the FAA for each flight course in each semester. Airplanes and flight instruction are provided by a contractor and can vary.
Flight Fuel and Maintenance Charges (approximate charges)
Flight fees are based on minimum flight time in instrument equipped aircraft. Additional costs would be incurred if more than the minimum flight hours are exceeded. These charges may be paid by making an initial deposit of $1000 to SWTJC and there after maintaining a minimum balance of $200 on deposit with SWTJC throughout the semester. The following approximate flight fees are on a per semester basis.
| 1st Semester $3950 |
| 2nd Semester $4800 |
| 3rd Semester $5000 |
| 4th Semester $5000 |
A student who fails to appear for a scheduled flight lab may be subject to a one-hour fee for the aircraft and instructor bookings that are canceled less than 24 hours prior to the scheduled flight time.
Flight Costs
| AIRPLANE | HOURLY CHARGE |
| Cessna 172 | $65 |
| Mooney Mark 20C | $70 |
The cost per hour for flight fuel and maintenance charges will be kept as low as possible. However, occasional increases may be necessary to offset increases in maintenance, fuel and other related costs. Most of the student's flight training will be conducted in the Cessna 172. However, it is necessary for the student to get some training in the complex Mooney Mark 20C. A student who enrolls in at least six hours of Career Pilot Associate Degree courses in addition to a flight course may receive a $10 discount in flight charges. Financial aid may not be available on repeated courses.
Flight Hours:
| Private Pilot -- 40 hr. minimum |
| Commercial Instrument -- 210 hr. minimum |
Recommended Courses for Career Pilot Technical Electives:
Recommended career pilot technical electives may be chosen from the following courses:
| AIRP 1341 Advanced Air Navigation |
| AIRP 2349 Instructor Ground School |
| AIRP 2336 Certified Flight Instructor - Airplane |
| AIRP 2351 Multiengine Flight |